The Iroquois Confederacy

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CHAPTER
4
words
Page 76
The Iroquois
Confederacy
matter!
Haudenosaunee is the name
that the people of the Six Nations
call themselves. French settlers
called them “Iroquois,” and
historical documents also use
“Iroquois.”
The United Nations is an
organization that works for world
peace. It builds cooperation
among countries and protects
the rights of people. Most
countries, including Canada,
belong to the United Nations.
Marcine Quenzer painted this picture in
2002. One version of the Peacemaker’s story
says that he travelled among the nations in a
white stone canoe. Why might a stone canoe
convince people to accept his message?
76
The Haudenosaunee [how-den-o-SHOW-nee] feel that
they have a message about peace and the environment,
just as their ancestors did. In 1977, they made a speech to
the United Nations (UN). This is part of it.
Coming of the
Peacemaker
“Haudenosaunee” is a word which means “people who
build” and is the proper [traditional] name of the people
of the Longhouse. The early history, before the IndoEuropeans came, explains that there was a time when
the peoples of the North American forest experienced
war and strife. It was during such a time that there came
into this land one who carried words of peace. That one
would come to be called the Peacemaker.
The Peacemaker came to the people with a message
that human beings should cease abusing [hurting] one
another. He stated that humans are capable of reason
[thinking things through logically], that through that
power of reason all men desire peace, and that it is
necessary that the people organize to ensure that peace
will be possible among the people who walk about on
the earth. That was the original word about laws—laws
were originally made to prevent the abuse [harming] of
humans by other humans.
■
What lesson could the countries in the UN learn
from this speech?
■
Compare Haudenosaunee ideas about laws and
society with those at the beginning of Chapter 1.
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The Peacemaker travelled among the people, going from
nation to nation, seeking those who would take up this way of
peace, offering with it a way of reason and power. He journeyed
first among the Ganienkegaga [Gah–nee–en–gah–HAH–geh]—
the People of the Flint Stone (Mohawk)—where he sought to
speak to the most dangerous of these people, offering them his
message.
He travelled for a long time among the Mohawk, the
People of Standing Stone (the Oneida), the People of the Hills
(Onondaga), the People of the Swamp (Cayuga), and the
People of the Great Hills (Seneca). Eventually, those five
nations were the initial ones to take up the offer of peace.
These nations gathered together in council, and there they set
down the principles of what is called the Gayaneshakgowa
[Guy–ya–na–lay–GO–wa], or the Great Law of Peace.
The Peacemaker gathered the nations under the Tree of
Peace and recited the Great Law of Peace that they were to
live by. Then their weapons were buried under the Tree. A
confederacy of five nations had been created. Eventually,
in the early 1700s, a sixth nation, the Tuscarora, accepted the
Peacemaker’s message and the Six Nations or Iroquois
Confederacy was complete.
?
words
matter!
A confederacy is a
partnership that is agreed on
by nations or groups of
people.
Inquiring Minds
The Iroquois Confederacy way of making decisions was different from that of the
ancient Greeks. As you read this chapter, think about the following questions:
1. How are democratic ideas about equality, equity, and participation part of
the Iroquois Confederacy?
2. To what extent was the Iroquois Confederacy a representative democracy?
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What Was Iroquois Society
Like?
Today, most Haudenosaunee live in the
northeastern United States and southeastern
Canada. Some of them still follow the ways of
governing set by the Peacemaker. However,
their way of life is much different than it was in
the past.
Before the coming of the Peacemaker, the
nations that formed the Confederacy had been
at war with one another for a long time.
However, the five Iroquois nations actually had
much in common with one another. Their
homes, their social structure, and daily life in
their villages were very similar.
Iroquois homes or longhouses
were wood frames covered in elm
bark. This longhouse built around
1640 was reconstructed in the
1960s. It is located at Ste-Marie
Among the Hurons near Midland,
Ontario.
words
matter!
An Iroquois clan is a large
group of families who are
related to one another. Each
clan is associated with a
different animal.
The Longhouse
Longhouses were at the centre of Iroquois society. Their
nations were divided into nine clans, which were led by clan
mothers. All the people living in a longhouse were
descendants of the same clan mother.
Clans are identified by animals. These include the Bear,
Wolf, Turtle, Snipe, Eel, Heron, Hawk, Beaver, and Deer.
Animal clans are related. A Mohawk of the Turtle clan, for
example, is a relative of the Seneca Turtle clan.
As the families grew larger, they would extend the
longhouse by building onto the end. Some longhouses were
almost as long as a football field!
Small Iroquois villages had
four or five longhouses;
there could be 50 or
more longhouses
in a large village.
This sculpture, Clan Animals
on the Turtle’s Back, was done by
Wayne Skye, a member of the
Cayuga Wolf clan, in 1996.
Which animals can you find?
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Page 79
e
U
n
io
n
of
lit
y—
Na
the
tion
Family—
nations t
u
yo
hat
s Yo u a r e P a r t
gt
o
yo
u
b
of—
is
ded
on
en
uo
tio
xt
el
rE
Na
Th
na
oq
Your Fireside
Family—your
mother, father,
sisters, and
brothers
u
Yo
r
Yo u
Women had positions of respect in Iroquois society. Carol
Jacobs, Cayuga Bear clan mother, describes women’s
standing this way: “In our traditions, it is women who
carry the seeds, both of our own future generations and of
the plant life. It is women who plant and tend the
gardens, and women who bear and raise the children.”
Women also owned the property and homes.
When a woman got married, her husband would
come to live in her family’s longhouse. Their children
belonged to the mother’s clan.
The women raised corn, beans, and squash, which
were the main food supply of the Iroquois. These crops are
known as the “Three Sisters.”
rc
lan
The Role of Iroquois Women
th
e
Ir
This drawing represents how the
Iroquois see their identity.
Skill Smart
[4-11]
Use a Venn diagram to
compare the status of
Iroquois and Athenian
women. Consider such
aspects as daily activities,
status in society, and
political power.
Carson Waterman of the Seneca Nation did this painting in 1992. It shows
three clan mothers, each holding one of the “Three Sisters.” Tobacco, which
was smoked on ceremonial occasions, was the “brother” crop of the sisters.
The Importance of the Clan Mothers
Clan mothers were the leaders of the clan. The title of clan
mother was usually passed on to her female relatives: her
sisters or her daughters. The Great Law of Peace gave the clan
mother ownership of the chieftainship title. This means that
clan mothers had the responsibility of selecting the chiefs for
their own clan. Clan mothers today have as much importance
and respect as they did in the past.
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Emergence of the Chief was
cast by artist Dave McGary in
2005. It shows a clan mother
of the Turtle Clan instructing
a new head chief of the
Mohawk Nation in his duties
and responsibilities. The
sculpture was created for
Concordia University in
Montréal when it was
discovered that part of the
university had been built on
Mohawk land. Why do you
think the university decided
to put up the sculpture?
Thinking
It Through
1. What do you think
these leadership
characteristics suggest
about the values of
Haudenosaunee
society?
2. What other
characteristics do
you consider important
in a leader?
In choosing a chief, the clan mother would look for
characteristics such as:
• honesty and kind-heartedness
• ability to think clearly
• knowledge of traditional ceremonies
• loyalty to family
• ability to uphold the Great Law
• ability to represent the people fairly
• ability to withstand criticism
The Role of Iroquois Men
Lacrosse is still played in Canada.
This First Nations sport has become
Canada’s national sport. How do
you think this sport prepares
players for other tasks in life?
80
Although women headed the clans, men served as the chiefs
on the Grand Council, which was the government of the
Iroquois. The men organized cooperative hunting and fishing
parties to provide meat for the village. They cut trees to make
longhouses and canoes. They organized team sports such as
lacrosse that were part of many seasonal celebrations.
Lacrosse was a sport played for fun, but it also trained men for
their other tasks in life. It built leadership skills as well as
endurance, strength, and speed for hunting and warfare.
Games would sometimes last for days.
Wars were fought exclusively by men, although the
women often decided whether or not war was to be declared.
Once the Confederacy was formed, fighting among the
Iroquois stopped. However, warfare continued with nations
that did not want to be part of the Great Peace.
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What Was Wampum Used
For?
Wampum is strings or belts made up of white and purple beads
that were cut from certain kinds of shells. Each string or belt
held a different message. The use of wampum suggested the
seriousness of the message and the sincerity of whoever made it.
This drawing, First Grand Council,
was done by John Kahionhes
Fadden of the Mohawk Nation in
1980. It shows the Peacemaker
presenting the Great Law of
Peace. The figure under the Tree
of Peace is holding a wampum
belt. According to Iroquois
tradition, Hiawatha introduced
wampum to his people.
Thinking
It Through
In what other ways do
societies record their
history and laws?
In Chapter 1, you read that Canada has a written
Constitution that sets out the rules of Canadian society. The
Great Law of Peace is the constitution of the Iroquois. It
describes principles of good living and tells how the
Confederacy should be organized and run. The Great Law of
Peace is so long that it would take days to recite the
whole thing. In order to help them remember the
Great Law, the Iroquois used wampum belts.
A wampum keeper was responsible for caring
for the wampum and reading it. The reader would
pass his hands along the belt, bead by bead, using
their texture to remind him of the events or treaties
it recorded. Wampum keepers were chosen by the
clan and trained from a young age—younger than
you are now—to remember the information on the
belt and tell it in a dramatic and poetic way.
This photo taken in the 1870s shows Iroquois
Iroquois women made the wampum belts.
chiefs from the Six Nations Reserve reading
Wampum belts.
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The Hiawatha Wampum
words
matter!
A collective identity is a
shared belief system that
often includes the same
language, culture, values,
and attitudes.
This belt is known as the Hiawatha
Wampum. It is a primary source of
information about the Iroquois.
How does the Hiawatha Wampum
show the relationship among the
nations of the Confederacy?
More
Today the Great Law of Peace exists as a written document. It
was first recorded in English in about 1880. Now, there are
several versions of it. The Hiawatha wampum is one of many
belts and strings that describe the Great Law.
Here are the meanings of the symbols on the Hiawatha
Wampum:
• From left to right, the five images represent the Mohawk,
Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca Nations and
their territories. The Onondaga symbol in the centre also
represents the Tree of Peace.
• The lines joining the five images show the connection of
the five nations to one another.
• The two lines extending out from the squares at the two
ends of the belt are the Path of Peace by which other
nations are welcomed to join the Confederacy.
• The Great Law explains the white colour on the Hiawatha
Belt this way: “White here symbolizes that no evil or
jealous thought shall creep into the minds of the chiefs
while in Council under the Great Peace. White, the
emblem of peace, love, charity and equity surrounds and
guards the Five Nations.”
About. . .
Wampum Treaty
Wampum often represented treaties among two groups of people. The
wampum are primary sources that tell us about Iroquois history. The
Two Row Wampum Treaty symbolized the relationship between the
Iroquois and the European nations that settled in North America.
One purple row of beads represented the path of the Iroquois canoe
that carried their culture, laws, and beliefs. This shows that the
nations of the Iroquois Confederacy shared a collective identity.
The other purple row represented the path of a sailing ship carrying
the Europeans’ culture, laws, and beliefs. The parallel paths show
that that neither group will try to interfere with the other. The three
white background rows symbolize peace, friendship, and respect
between the two groups.
This is a replica of the Two Row Wampum Treaty.
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MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Who Was Hiawatha?
Hiawatha, whose name is sometimes
also spelled Hayehwatha, travelled with
the Peacemaker and helped him spread
his message of peace among the
Haudenosaunee. What we know about
him comes through the oral stories
It is believed that Hiawatha
that have been passed down through
lived sometime between 1100
the generations. These stories have
and 1450.
now been written down.
One of the stories tells about Hiawatha’s great sorrow. Tadodaho,
the chief of the Onondaga, was not interested in peace. He was an
evil man who caused the death of Hiawatha’s three daughters. In his
sadness, Hiawatha went to live alone in the forest. He put shells on a
string as he thought about his daughters. This was the first
wampum.
This painting of the first
wampum string was done in
1980 by John Kahionhes Fadden
of the Mohawk Nation.
[4-27]
Over to You
The ceremony that the
Peacemaker performed
on Hiawatha became
the basis of a ceremony
that the Iroquois used
to ease sadness when
someone died.
Wampum strings were
exchanged during the
ceremony. How might
a ceremony like this
help to strengthen the
bonds of people in a
society?
The Peacemaker found Hiawatha in the forest. Hiawatha was so
sad that he could not see, hear, or speak, so the Peacemaker
comforted him. He wiped the tears flowing from Hiawatha’s eyes
with soft deerskin. Peacemaker removed the obstruction in
Hiawatha’s ears with a feather. Finally, he gave Hiawatha cool water
to drink, which cleared the obstruction in his throat.
Now that Hiawatha could see, hear, and speak again, he was able
to leave the forest to spread the good word of peace. Hiawatha and
the Peacekeeper eventually cleared the evil from the mind of
Tadodaho. This allowed the Onondaga Nation to join the
Confederacy.
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SKILL
Interpreting Maps
POWER
What kind of information do maps give?
• Political maps tell you about the location of countries
and cities.
• Historical maps tell you what an area was like in the
past.
• Physical maps provide information about features of the
land like rivers, mountains, and land elevation. The
physical map on the next page shows rivers and lakes.
Take a look at the map below and identify the following
features: title, compass rose, legend, and scale. These features
are described in the Skill Smart on page 56. Use information
on the map to answer these geographic questions:
• Why were the Seneca given the title “Keepers of the Western
Door”? Who were the “Keepers of the Eastern Door”?
• What geographic feature do you think influenced the
location of European settlements? Explain why.
Locations of the Six Iroquois Nations, 1768
CANADA
IO
NS
N
O
CA NOND
YU
AGA
GA
SENECA
e
Lak
Erie
K
AW
OH
M
AT
N
Lake Ontario
E
W
S
X
SI A
ID
NE RA
O
AR
SC
U
T
THE
Legend
European settlement
O
0
75
150
kilometres
ATLANTIC OCEAN
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Practise the Skill
This physical map shows the names of the rivers and lakes in New
York State. Study the map carefully and identify its features.
r
ive
ac
R
Lake
Champlain
iver
ar
an
te
R.
St.
is
et
Black
Lake
eg
La
St. R
CANADA
eR
nc
Raqu
wr
e
Rivers and Lakes of New York State
S
R.
N
Cranberry
Lake
Bl
k
ac
n
so
er
R iv
er
law
150
e
Riv
75
ar e
0
r
River
ne C
r
Riv
De
Seneca
Can
na
Lake
iste R.
an
oR
Susqu e h
. Chem
ung
R.
Chatauqua
Lake
oha
Cayuga
Lake
Sch
Keuka
Lake
r
W
a ll
kill
Rive
r
ttaraug
ang R
o i ve
Ca
Skaneateles
Lake
en
Erie
n
cto
ho
e
Lak
Canal
Ch
Tonawanda Cr
Co
us C
r
Ge
ne s
ee
Rive
r
Erie
Canandaigua
Lake
S
Lake
George
Hudson
Great
Sacandaga
Lake
Moha
wk Riv
er
Oneida
Lake
R.
Lake Ontario
E
W
Hu
d
kilometres
ATLANTIC OCEAN
1. Historical maps can sometimes add to our understanding of
present-day maps. How did the past influence the choice of
names of rivers on the modern map?
2. Make up five geographic questions that can be answered by
using the maps on these two pages. Exchange questions with a
partner.
3. Today, there are a number of Haudenosaunee communities on
reserves in Canada and on reservations in the United States.
On a map of North America, locate Kanesatake and the Six
Nations reserve. Document the sources you looked at to find
this information.
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How Was the Confederacy
Structured?
Chief Dekaheh of the Cayuga
Nation travelled to Geneva in 1923
to defend the rights of his people
before the League of Nations. He
was not allowed to speak.
Speaking Out
[The Council of the Six
Nations] is still alive and
intends, as best it can, to
defend the rights of the
Iroquois to live under their
own laws in their own little
countries left to them, to
worship their Great Spirit
in their own way, and to
enjoy the rights which are
as surely theirs as the white
man’s rights are his own.
For the Irquois, their Confederacy could be compared to a
huge longhouse that stretched over the whole territory where
they lived. The Six Nations—Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida,
Seneca, Onondaga, and Tuscarora—lived together under its
roof as a family. This longhouse sheltered their bond with
each other and protected them from their enemies.
The Chiefs
The leaders in Irquois society were the chiefs. The Great Law of
Peace stated that it was their duty to be teachers and spiritual
guides and to remind their people that the Creator wants them
to live together forever in peace.
The chiefs were treated with great respect because of their
wisdom and other special qualities. However, they were
considered the same as everyone else in society—not better or
above others. They were the caretakers of the Great Law of
Peace and had responsibilities in many areas.
Chief Dekaheh, Cayuga Nation,
1925
Skill Smart
Create a web to record
what you learn about the
responsibilities of
Haudenosaunee chiefs.
Compare your web with
a classmate’s and look
for similarities and
differences.
86
Chief Oren Lyons (left), Faithkeeper of
the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation.
The Faithkeeper’s job is to maintain
the customs, traditions, values, and
history of the clan and to uphold the
Great Law of Peace and represent its
message to the world community.
Chief Leon Shenandoah (right), Fire
Keeper for Haudenosaunee. This
photograph was taken at the Earth
Summit in 1992.
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The chiefs looked after the welfare of their people and ran
the affairs of the clan, the nation, and the Confederacy. They
also upheld the rule of law in their society. (You read about
the rule of law in Chapter 2, on page 46.)
There were also:
• war chiefs, who were selected by each of the nations to sit
on the Grand Council. In wartime, these chiefs had to
gather warriors for fighting.
• pine tree chiefs, who showed special abilities or had an
interest in public affairs. They were selected to join the
Grand Council by its chiefs.
The Grand Council
The Great Law of Peace established a Grand Council made up
of 50 chiefs who represented the nations of the Confederacy.
Nations with large populations had more chiefs than smaller
nations, but they were all equal to one another.
• The Mohawk Nation had nine chiefs.
• The Oneida Nation had nine chiefs.
• The Onondaga Nation had fourteen chiefs.
• The Cayuga Nation had ten chiefs.
• The Seneca Nation had eight chiefs.
The Tuscarora, who were not part of the original five
nations named in the Great Law of Peace, were represented by
the Chiefs of the Oneida.
The clan mother could remove a chief who was not doing
his job properly. A chief might lose his position for
• committing a serious crime such as murder
• refusing to attend meetings of the Grand Council
• not listening to and representing the views of the people
• disobeying the Great Law
• not acting with the welfare of the people in mind
New chiefs were chosen by the clan mothers. The clan
mothers also ensured that all decisions made by the Grand
Council agreed with the Great Law of Peace. They carefully
watched over discussions and made sure that all voices were
heard and treated respectfully. They pointed out any mistakes
they saw to the chiefs.
Thayendanegea, whose
English name was Joseph
Brant, was a famous war
chief of the Mohawk Nation.
Brantford, Ontario, was
named after him.
Thinking
It Through
How does the image of
the chiefs on the seal
suggest unity and
equality?
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The Seventh Generation
words
matter!
Successive descendants in a
family make up generations.
For example, grandparents,
parents, and children are
three generations of a family.
Speaking Out
In making any law, our
chiefs must always consider
three things: the effect of
their decision on peace, the
effect on the natural world,
and the effect on seven
generations in the future.
We believe that all
lawmakers should be
required to think this way,
that all constitutions
should contain these rules.
Carol Jacobs, Cayuga Bear clan
mother
One important responsibility of the Grand Council was to
consider the seventh generation. The chiefs had to always
keep in mind how the decisions they made would affect the
lives of their people for seven generations—more than 200
years in the future. This encouraged the chiefs to act
cautiously so that the welfare of their descendants would be
protected.
In Canada today we also expect our politicians to try to
make decisions that will have positive effects on future
generations. Do you think that governments are passing
strong enough laws to protect the environment? Health care?
Human rights?
More
About. . .
The Tree of Peace
The Tree of Peace is an important
symbol of the Iroquois. The roots of the
Tree spread out to the north, south,
east, and west so that other nations
could find the pathways to the Great
Law. If any person or nation wishes to
follow the Great Law of Peace, they are
welcome to join the Iroquois under the
Tree. The eagle sits at the top of the
Tree to spot any approaching danger
and warn the Iroquois. Before the
planting, the Peacemaker asked the
This Tree of Peace was
nations to throw their articles of war
drawn by John Fadden.
into the pit. He then planted the Tree
The war club under the tree
of Peace over the weapons.
symbolizes the weapons
buried by the Iroquois.
Thinking It Through
1. In Chapter 2, you saw that in a democracy people can
participate to work for the common good. How does
thinking about the seventh generation contribute to the
common good?
2. What other kinds of decisions could politicians make today
that would affect the seventh generation?
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How Were Decisions Made
in the Confederacy?
In Chapters 2 and 3, you looked at rights and freedoms,
representation, and justice in Canada and ancient
Athens. One of the ways these values are achieved in a
democracy is by involving people in making decisions.
How do people participate in decision making in
Canada? How did they participate in ancient Athens?
The Great Law was written to ensure that the
Iroquois could live together in peace and harmony. Here are
some ways that democratic principles are built into decision
making under the Great Law:
• Although different nations had different numbers of chiefs
in the Grand Council, there was equality among them.
They all had the same level of authority.
• Authority was shared between men and women.
Although only men were members of the Grand Council, it
was the women who nominated the chiefs and could take
away their title. The fact that people belonged to their
mother’s clan also gave authority to the women.
• The clan system introduced by the Peacemaker helped to
make sure that no one nation would ever be able to take
over the Confederacy. Because people in each nation
belonged to various clans, their loyalty was split between
their clan and their nation. This balancing of loyalty
worked to maintain democracy and unity within the
Confederacy.
More
How are the students in this class
making a decision? What other
ways are there of making
decisions?
About. . .
The Tuscarora Nation
When Europeans came to North America, the Tuscarora lived
in what is now the state of North Carolina. Like other First
Nations people, many Tuscarora fell sick and died from
diseases brought by Europeans. Settlers fought the Tuscarora
wanting to take over their traditional lands. In the early
1700s, many Tuscarora moved north to New York State where
they lived near the Oneida and later joined the Iroquois
Confederacy as the sixth nation.
Thinking
It Through
How are the ideas of
fairness and equality
expressed on the
Hiawatha Wampum belt
on page 82?
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Making Decisions by Consensus
words
matter!
When a decision is made by
consensus, all the people
affected by the decision have
an equal voice. There is
discussion and the final
agreement represents a
process that everyone
agrees to.
Can you imagine how hard it would be to get all of the
students in your class to agree on an issue? How would you go
about it? Getting five different nations and the many clans
within them to agree on issues was a challenge that the
Peacemaker faced. The Great Law sets out a system of decision
making that allows everyone a voice and requires the
agreement of all. This way of making decisions is called
consensus. It was another way that fairness and equality
were maintained in Iroquois society.
Consensus requires people to be open-minded. They must
be willing to think deeply about the issue and to listen to the
ideas of others. The decision may not be their first choice, but
they must be willing to support it in the best interest of the
group.
Thinking It Through
1. Consider how the social structure of the Iroquois
Confederacy encouraged consensus decision making.
2. Consensus requires people to be open-minded. Why is it
important for members of any society to be open-minded?
3. In a country as big as Canada, it is unlikely that everybody
will agree on all issues. In what ways do people show that
they disagree with government decisions?
Decision Making in the
Grand Council
The Onondaga
kindled the
Council fire at the
beginning of the
Grand Council
meeting. Fire was
thought to purify
the words of the
chiefs and make
sure they spoke
the truth.
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The process of Grand Council decision
making is laid out in the Great Law of Peace.
The chiefs were divided by nation for the
discussions and each nation had a role. The
Mohawk and Seneca, who were the first to
join the Confederacy, were known as the Elder
Brothers. The Onondaga had the position of
Fire Keepers. The Oneida and Cayuga were
known as the Younger Brothers.
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The Onondaga were responsible for opening the Grand
Council. They began by thanking the representatives of the
other nations for attending and announcing the subject that
would be discussed.
The Grand Council chose a speaker from among the
Mohawk, Onondaga, or Seneca Nations to conduct the
meeting. The speaker held this position for one day. The next
day a new speaker would be chosen or the first speaker could
be reappointed by the Council.
During a Grand Council meeting, a chief’s two
faithkeepers and his clan mother sat behind him to advise
him and, if necessary, remind him of his responsibility to his
people.
An issue
arises
Mohawk
and Seneca
discuss
issue and
make a
decision by
consensus
Oneida and
Cayuga
discuss
same issue
and make a
decision by
consensus
If Mohawk,
Seneca,
Oneida,
and Cayuga
come to
the same
decision...
Onondaga
confirm
the
decision
If Mohawk,
Seneca,
Oneida, and
Cayuga come
to a different
decision...
Thinking
It Through
What similiarities can
you find between
Iroquois and Athenian
decision making?
Mohawk
announce
the
decision
Action
taken
on the
decision
Issue set aside
until chiefs get
advice from their
communities
Onondaga refer
issue back to
Mohawk and
Seneca, and the
process starts again
This chart shows the process of decision making among the original five nations
of the Iroquois Confederacy.
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Consulting the Clans
You have seen that the Grand Council was the governing body
of the Iroquois. However, the Great Law gave all the Iroquois
the right to participate in decision making. It describes one
occasion in which the people were consulted this way:
Whenever a specially important matter or a great emergency is
presented before the Confederate [Grand] Council and the nature
of the matter affects the entire body of the Five Nations,
threatening their utter ruin, then the Lords [chiefs] of the
Confederacy must submit the matter to the decision of their
people and the decision of the people shall affect the decision of
the Confederate [Grand] Council. This decision shall be a
confirmation of the voice of the people.
The diagram below shows the process through which the
voice of the people was heard. It ensured that everyone—men,
women, children, and Elders—had a say in the decisionmaking process.
Clan meeting
gives everyone
in the clan—
women, men,
children, and
Elders—a
chance to
speak.
Clan mother
informs clan
chief of the
decision the
clan reached
by consensus.
Clan chief
carries
decision to
the Council
of Chiefs of
the nation.
Council of
Chiefs of the
nation comes
to a consensus
and brings
that decision
to the Grand
Council.
Minority Rights
Thinking
It Through
How is the right of
Iroquois nations to keep
their own laws similar to
the protection of
collective rights in the
Canadian Charter that you
read about in Chapter 2?
92
Along with giving people the right to contribute to the
decision-making process, the Great Law also acknowledges the
unique identity of each nation. It states that the nations will
keep their own festivals and laws, and that the chiefs of the
nations continue to have the right to settle the affairs of their
nations.
Taking the rights of minorities into consideration in
decision making is an important way of keeping a society fair.
What document protects minority rights in Canada?
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MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Roberta Jamieson
Roberta Jamieson is a member of the
Mohawk Nation of the Grand River in
southern Ontario. She was the first First
Nations woman in Canada to earn a law
degree. She was also the first woman to
become a chief of the Six Nations of the
Grand River, the reserve in Canada that
has the most people living on it.
In 1989, Roberta Jamieson was
appointed to a 10-year term as the
Roberta Jamieson is the
ombudsman of Ontario. An ombudsman
winner of the National
is a person who investigates people’s
Aboriginal Achievement
complaints about the government. The
Award.
ombudsman can suggest changes to
government policies or change unfair decisions.
In this chapter you have seen the importance of participation and
consensus in Iroquois society. Roberta Jamieson feels that her culture
has had a great affect on her job as ombudsman. She says:
First, Iroquois people have always placed a lot of importance on
diplomacy [talking things over]. We’ve placed a lot of influence on
process, on reaching a consensus, knowing that if you spend the
time to come to a genuine consensus it will be long-lasting.
She has used these traditional strategies to help people to reach
agreement and solve problems. She tries to bring opposing sides
together with the goal of reaching a solution that both can agree on.
She encourages them to work together to find a solution, rather than
focusing on the ways they disagree.
Over to You
1. Do you agree with Roberta Jamieson’s idea that “...if you
spend the time to come to a genuine consensus it will be
long-lasting”? Explain your thinking.
2. Roberta Jamieson has said that in Iroquois culture “women
are the conscience of the council, of the chiefs.” What do
you think she means by this?
3. Why is the job of ombudsman important in a democracy?
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Viewpoints
What Is the Best Way to Make a
Decision?
The Iroquois thought they had an effective way of making
decisions—they used consensus. Ancient Athenians also thought
they had a good way to make decisions—they used majority
rule.
Both of these ways of making decisions have survived to the
present day. The Assembly of First Nations and the Nunavut
legislature continue to use the consensus model. Majority rule is
used in elections across Canada. What are the advantages of
each of these ways of making decisions?
Voting is competitive
—it creates
winners and losers. Co
nsensus is
cooperative and tries
to reach a decision
that is best for all m
embers of a group.
Viewpoint 1
n making is
Consensus decisio
quois
inclusive. The Iro
uded
Confederacy incl
ould be
everybody who w
aking
affected when m
nsensus,
decisions. With co
t forward
participants can pu
end changes.
ideas or recomm
harter of the
That’s why the C
Nations says
Assembly of First
ill be used to
that consensus w
make decisions.
Viewpoint 2
94
One person, one
vote—that’s the
basis of our
democracy. It’s the
only fair way in my
opinion.
Viewpoint 3
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Let’s be practical. How could you
use consensus decision making to
run a country? Consensus is fine
for a small group, but when you
are dealing with many thousands,
or even millions of people,
consensus just isn’t an option.
Viewpoint 4
Consensus takes a long time. If
you have to make a decision in a
hurry, voting is the most efficient
way. You just give people the
choices then you do what the
majority believes is best.
Viewpoint 5
Majority rule
means that the
minority may
not be
committed to
the decision that
is made. One time my cla
ss
voted on whether to go to
the
zoo or the museum for a
field
trip. The zoo got the most
votes.
The kids who voted to go
to the
museum didn’t help plan
the zoo
trip. Consensus decision ma
king
would have made that situ
ation
much better.
Viewpoint 6
Over to You
1. Which of the opinions best represent your own ideas? Explain.
2. What are some other benefits and drawbacks of consensus and majority rule
decision making?
3. Name classroom situations when using consensus would work best. In what
situations would majority rule work best?
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Contributing to
Community
One morning when Mr. Kahn was taking attendance, the class
told him that Matthew was in the office. He and another boy
argued over a soccer ball in the schoolyard. The two boys
ended up pushing each other and a teacher had to separate
them. Matthew and the other boy had to go to the principal to
talk to her about what had happened.
Mr. Kahn thought this might be a good time to talk about
school rules.
What rules does your school have
to make sure everyone is safe and
healthy?
MARIA: The Peacemaker encouraged the nations in the Iroquois
Confederacy to use reason. I think that means you need to consider the
consequences of your actions before you act. He also talked about peace
and unity.
RICHARD: I think one important thing he said is that we need to think
about how our actions affect the group, both now and in the future.
IAN: I wonder how the Great Law of Peace can be applied to our
classroom or our school?
ANGELITA: Maybe we can use the Great Law to help us come up with
classroom rules for problem solving.
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The students spent time researching how people can
strengthen a community. There were historic ideas from the
Iroquois as well as ideas from other cultures. They found that
many sources said that if people were actively involved with
others they could build a strong, supportive community
where people are willing to help each other without being
asked.
IAN: We need to make everybody feel like they are an important part
of the school. I read that in an area of San Juan, Costa Rica, the people
agreed to El Ley del Saludo—the Law of the Greeting. They would leave
for work earlier than usual and when they saw a neighbour they would
stop and talk. This way everybody got to know everybody else. Maybe
our school could try this.
MARIA: Listening to each other is important. We need to hear and
understand what problems or concerns everybody has.
ANGELITA: Listening is important, but what we say is important too.
We should show respect to each other by not gossiping or saying
hurtful things about others. That is a big part of respecting others. I
don’t know if we always have to think about seven generations ahead,
but we should think about the consequences of our actions.
Besides books, what other research
methods could Mr. Kahn’s students
have used?
RICHARD: Maybe we could write up some guidelines so that students
in our school could live more peacefully with one another. I wonder if
we can get the other classes to accept our guidelines?
Over to You
1. What rules and guidelines do you think would help improve the
well-being of your school community?
2. How could you get the other classes to agree on your
guidelines? Would you use consensus or majority rules? Are you
willing to compromise on your guidelines?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a set of
guidelines that all classes agree on? How would you deal with
students who choose not to follow your guidelines?
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Explore More!
?
Inquiring Minds
1. Put yourself in the place of a member of the Iroquois Confederacy who
has been asked to speak for your people and explain your system of
government.
io
at
cip
Pa
rti
ty
ui
Eq
Eq
ua
lit
y
n
a. How would you describe the democratic principles of the Iroquois
Confederacy? Use the organizer below to record your ideas.
Democratic Principles of Iroquois Confederacy
b. Identify items on your completed organizer or other information
from the chapter that you think shows that the Iroquois Confederacy
had representative government.
2. Look at the map on page 84 to see where the six Iroquois Nations lived
in 1768. Find this area on a present-day map of the United States. Refer
to maps that show temperature, precipitation, and land use of this area
to explain how the geographical features supported the Haudenosaunee
way of life.
3. Another important wampum is the Two Row Wampum that you read
about on page 82. From what you know about the history of First
Nations in North America, tell whether you think the ideas on this belt
have been honoured.
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Your Turn
Suppose, like the Peacemaker, you had the opportunity to
influence a great number of people. Look back at the
Haudenosaunee speech at the start of this chapter and
develop a short speech to spread your own message about
peace and the environment to one of the following:
- your classmates
- your school
- your community
a. Consider how your speech would be different for each
group. Why would it be different for each group?
b. Present your speech to your classmates, your school, or
some leaders of your community. At the end of your
speech invite your audience to propose ways how your
ideas might be put into practice.
Democracy In Action Journal
With a partner or group, discuss what values are most important
in your classroom. Create a series of symbols in your journal that
express these values.
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